4 Best Royal Rumble Winners of All Time
Although WrestleMania will forever be known as the “granddaddy of them all,” there is a palpable feeling of nostalgia, excitement, and anticipation as January rolls around and we near the Royal Rumble, the 30-man, over-the-top battle royale that has defined the industry for the greater part of three decades.
It is argued that WrestleMania is as important as it is partially due to the result of the Rumble, and many in the WWE Universe would honor the Rumble as being their favorite Pay-Per-View of the year (including this author).
There has been a total of 30 Royal Rumble events, the latest saw Randy Orton victorious and eventually challenge, and defeat, Champion Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania. Not while we may remember Rey Mysterio running the gauntlet in 2006 or Mr. McMahon taking home the top prize in 1999, there are a few select superstars who have defined and have been defined, by their Rumble performances.
Here are the top 4 Royal Rumble Winners of all time...
#4 Ric Flair
Ric Flair was relatively fresh in the World Wrestling Federation, only entering the company in September 2001, just a few short months from the 1992 Royal Rumble. After some bizarre finishes in a forgettable feud between Undertaker and Hulk Hogan, the WWF Championship was vacated in December of 1991, setting up a winner-take-all Royal Rumble in which the victor would become Champion that night.
To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. And that night, just a few months into his WWF career, Ric Flair came in at number 3, lasted over 1 hour (the longest at the time), and last eliminated Sid Justice to become the champ.